NC native, astronaut Tom Marshburn thrilled to share third trip to outer space

North Carolina native and NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn is again exploring the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Marshburn launched to the International Space Station on Nov. 10 as part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission for a six-month duration. The mission marks his third spaceflight, and he is the sixth person to launch from earth on three different spacecraft.

WRAL's Ken Smith spoke with Marshburn, who grew up in Statesville, on Friday.

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"The first time you look out the window, you see blue and white. You're a bit stunned. You don't know quite what you're looking at," Marshburn said of the thrill of going on missions. "When your brain begins to process the beautiful sights you're seeing, you begin to pick up land masses and such. Then you begin to appreciate just the fact that you are actually traveling over this planet. It's quite a lot to take that in."

Marshburn said his affinity for space started when he saw "2001: A Space Odyssey" in theaters with his family. His interest hit another gear when he was in high school and immersed himself in the Apollo program, reading whatever he could get his hands on.

Marshburn said added complexities of the labs and modules make this trip unique.

"The depth of the science that we're doing, the scope of the experiments is so much more broad," Marshburn said.

The space station is larger than it has been when he's visited before. He estimates it takes his body around two weeks to get used to life in space.

In 2009, Marshburn completed his first spaceflight, logging more than 376 hours in space. In 2012, Marshburn launched to the International Space Station as a flight engineer.

Marshburn is a Davidson College graduate and went to medical school at Wake Forest.

North Carolina has its share of high-profile astronauts, including North Carolina State graduate Christina Koch.